RAGGED THOTS

Robert A. George's ruminations on politics, race, pop culture, sports, comic books & various other sundry temptations of the human condition. Yes, he writes for the New York Post, but the views here are solely his own.

Friday, August 07, 2009

200 Days & Running

How times change.

At the end of President Obama's first 100 days, he was at the top of his game, His approval rating was over 60 percent, the stimulus package had passed and the public waited for it to work its magic through the economy. Around certain parts, however, some cautionary advice was offered to watch out for "rhetorical overkill" that could endanger "his likability and credibility."

Today, on his 200th day in the White House, those words seem somewhat prophetic. Yes, Obama got his first Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor confirmed on Thursday. But not only did that 68-31 vote turn out to be a far more partisan than anticipated, everywhere else there are clouds on the horizon.

The Quinnipiac poll has him at just 50 percent approval -- and 42 percent disapproval. While others look a little better, the overall picture is the same -- a downward trend. He's clearly lost control of the health-care debate. This month's PR push is beginning to look more like a defensive gesture to recover lost support, rather an affirmative building effort. When White House operatives are forced to refer to health-care reform opponents in town hall meetings across the country as members of a "mob," it begins to reek of desperation.

How did it get to this point? Better yet, how did it seem to fall apart so quickly in the jog from Day 101 to 200?

1) Economy. The public was willing to accept the ratcheted up spending -- but only to a point. The stimulus package seemed to make some sense at first, given what had been seen over the previous six months. But added to the bailouts for banks, auto industry, and others, it was inevitable that a stopping point would be reached. Obama thought that would discovered later rather than sooner.

2) Health-care. In a vacuum, the promise of near-universal health coverage sounds promising. But, just as with the Clinton approach 15 years, the more the public hears about the various plans coming out of Congress, the less they like it. What's scaring people away? Fear of both the long-term fiscal costs of a health-care program and fear that the insurance benefits that most Americans already have might be endangered.

At one time, the White House might have imagined that Obama's personal popularity and likability would have been enough to convince a wary public that the health-care reform was essential to the nation's long-term recovery -- despite their doubts.

But even his personal popularity has taken a hit. For that, one can thank...

The poll by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center found that 41 percent of respondents disapproved of Obama's handling of the Gates arrest, compared with 29 percent who approved. The poll also found the incident and Obama's reaction saturated the public consciousness. As many as 80 percent of Americans said they are now aware of Obama's comments on the matter.

The president's approval ratings fell, especially among working-class whites, as the focus of the Gates story shifted from details about the incident to Obama's remarks, the poll said. Among whites in general, more disapprove than approve of his comments by a two-to-one margin.

It should also be noted that those working-class whites were the same group that Obama had the greatest difficulty attracting during the protracted primary battle with Hillary Clinton. It's quite clear that they remain the loosest part of Obama's coalition. The Gates affair quickly re-stoked suspicions they had over Obama. Coming at a critical moment in the health-care debate (literally, at the end of a press conference which had been focused on health reform issues), the doubts inspired by the race controversy may have subconsciously spilled over white voters views of Obama in general, as predicted here at the time.

If health-care is ultimately doomed because of Obama's "stupid" response, that will be a high price to have paid for just a couple of lines in a lengthy press conference. But politics isn't fair.

The question for the president now is: Can he recalibrate the debate in a month where the public traditionally tunes out politics -- and especially policy? He has little choice. With the critical policy issue of his first term tied up in Congress now, if he doesn't create more fertile ground to get some form of health-care reform passed this fall, Democrats face a woeful mid-term election atmosphere in 2010 -- especially if the economy doesn't turn around.

It's not too inaccurate to say that Obama's third 100 days -- and subsequent weeks and months -- may largely depend on the success of strategies crafted and implemented over the next 30 days.

Former President Bill Clinton, the "Big Dog" of the Democratic Party, must be elated to be seen once again as a player on the international scene. (Get rid of those naughty thoughts of him being a "player" in the other sense -- picking up two chicks, etc.). Even if the deal had been cut by the State Department well before the former president headed to Pyongyang, he looks like the catalyst that got things done.

But the person most elated must be Kim Jong-Il, the physically deteriorating dictator. After insulting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton just a couple weeks back, Kim has managed to get the United States to send her husband on a mission of mercy. Of course, the secretary must have signed off on it, but it's still humiliating nonetheless: She's got the official portfolio now, but she has to step aside -- again -- for her husband. And who has brought whom to the negotiation table? Has the United States gotten the Pyongyang to cooperate? Or has Kim gotten the photo-op of lifetime? Kinda seems obvious. Vice-President Al Gore -- for whom Ling and Lee work at Current TV -- tried to intercede. It didn't work.

But what must newly-sworn in Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad be thinking right now? He has some nice American bargaining chips of his own: Three hikers who wandered into Iran from across the Iraq border a few days ago. If one member of the former "Axis of Evil" was able to get a former president to bargain for the release of three accused spies, what can Iran get? And Iran can at least say that it's been down this road before: It unilaterally released Iranian-American journalist/former beauty queen Roxana Saberi -- who had been convicted of spying. It's been the "good boy" -- and all it got for its trouble was the United States tacitly giving its blessing for the green revolution.

President Obama -- via Bill Clinton -- may get some momentary good feelings coming out of North Korea for this big international gambit. But his own headaches -- from what rogue regimes might think they can get out of the U.S. -- could be just beginning.